Conventionally, techniques have been developed for mounting an IC card in a mobile communication apparatus or other electronic devices and carrying out information exchange between the IC card and the electronic device. In particular, techniques have been developed in recent years in which a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card on which subscriber information is recorded is inserted into a mobile communication apparatus, whereby a plurality of communication apparatuses is used by the same subscriber, or a plurality of subscribers uses a single communication apparatus as their own communication apparatus.
A user must be able to easily load and withdraw such a card from the electronic device. For this reason, the card must be detachable from the electronic device, and a card connector that reliably holds the card when the card is mounted and that furthermore assures an electrical connection is disposed between the internal circuitry of the electronic device. There is a need for a card connector that allows a card to be easily mounted and withdrawn and in which the contact points of the electric signals are highly shock-resistant. When information is written to the card or information is read from the card, the information may be written with errors or information may be erased when a shock or another load is applied from the exterior of the electronic device and the card becomes disengaged from the card connector or the electrical connection is lost, even if the card has not become disengaged from the card connector.
Examples of conventional SIM cards incorporated into a mobile communication apparatus include perpendicular contact-point-type connectors (see patent documents 1 and 2, for example), in which the card is inserted and withdrawn by being moved in a direction perpendicular to a contact surface between the terminals of the card and the terminals of a card connector; and insertion-type connectors, in which a card is inserted and withdrawn by being slid in a direction parallel to the contact surface. For insertion-type connectors, there are types in which the card is directly mounted without the use of a tray (see patent document 3, for example), and types in which a dedicated tray is pulled out, the card is placed on the tray, and the tray is inserted (see patent document 4, for example).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 3121747
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-244004
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-17183
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-79494